I’d Rather Live as a Villain

I’d rather live as a villain – Episode 32

(Strike!)

As soon as I arrived at work, I received a call from Kang Cheol-jin, the owner of the Daeyoung Monsters baseball team.

The moment I saw his number, I couldn’t help but laugh.

This man was serious.

That day, at the Pyeongchang-dong garden party, we had casually made a promise.

Of course, I hadn’t forgotten that promise either.

It could be an event beneficial to Daeyoung Group, and perhaps even to Executive Kang Moon-jung personally.

In fact, Executive Moon-jung also seemed to think it would result in a very interesting outcome, saying that if, just if, the Monsters and the Giants were to face off in this fall’s baseball season, he was very positive about me throwing the first pitch.

“Yoon Seobang, you saw yesterday’s game, didn’t you?”

His tone was as if he was coming to collect something he had entrusted.

“Hahaha, yes, I saw it. Congratulations on making it to the fall baseball playoffs.”

“Hmm. Do you think I called to receive congratulations from you, Yoon Seobang? Do you remember the promise we made?”

“Of course. It’s only natural.”

“The first pitch of the first game. You have to do it, right?”

The whole world knows I’m a fan of the Giants.

As Daeyoung’s future son-in-law, the scene of me cheering for the Giants in their uniform next to Executive Kang Moon-jung has been preserved like a meme since our marriage, still floating around various online communities and SNS.

In fact, even though the Giants’ home corporation has a department store, the sales of Daeyoung Department Store went up by more than 10 percent after the image of me cheering in the Giants’ uniform spread.

This fall, the Monsters and the Giants will clash in the baseball playoffs.

If the two teams were to face off in any way this fall, Executive Moon-jung asked if I could throw the first pitch as a special event, and I had gladly agreed with his permission.

Team owner Kang Cheol-jin firmly believed there could be no more entertaining event than this.

“But you remember the condition I set at that time, right?”

“The uniform?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, that’s no big deal. I can prepare that right away if needed.”

Well, it’s just a matter of cutting two uniforms in half, sticking them together, and then just stamping my name on the back…

“I’ll go to the stadium with Moon-jung on that day.”

“Okay. The manager called me right after yesterday’s game, at that late hour, and asked me to make sure to confirm the first pitch with Yoon Seobang. It’s the first time I’ve ever felt pressured by a manager. Haha.”

“Haha. Then, I’ll see you on that day, brother. Congratulations again on making it to the fall baseball.”

Thank you. Then, I’ll let the manager know it’s been confirmed and get the uniforms ready.

***

Just past 11 AM, Chief Choi Jang-ho came to my office with a few selected business proposals.

My current situation.

I had to immediately hit a follow-up to the Kinzone Sherry Wine.

The performance that I, and the European Division, produce is directly linked to the perception in Pyeongchang-dong, to the capabilities and discernment of Executive Kang Moon-jung.

And Executive Kang’s capabilities and discernment are inevitably compared to the objective qualities of Vice President Kang Young-jin, who, aside from being the bloodline of Daeyoung, has little else to boast.

The part where I secured a favorable re-contract with the olive farm, the achievement of securing Kinzone Sherry Wine.

It still wasn’t enough.

Now wasn’t the time to relax, to take a breather. It was time to press the pedal to move forward by any means necessary.

And that pedal, if it wasn’t currently available to me, had to be created no matter what.

If we compare my current performance in Mulsan to baseball, it’s just a no-out situation with runners on first and third base.

I haven’t scored yet.

I needed one more hit.

A follow-up hit that could bring the runners home.

It didn’t have to be a clean hit.

Even an outfield fly would be enough to bring in the runner from third base.

Until Executive Kang Moon-jung scores a definitive lead against Vice President Kang Young-jin, I won’t be swayed by any sweet temptation, won’t look elsewhere.

“Hmm…”

Chief Choi Jang-ho began to gauge my reaction as he reviewed the business proposal.

“Sigh…”

I went through each one, as meticulously as possible.

Business is about solidifying the domestic market before expanding outward.

That’s the business philosophy always emphasized by Chairman Kang Ki-young.

The domestic market mentioned here isn’t the broad sense of the national market, but the internal market that can be circulated within the Daeyoung Group.

It’s not just the Daeyoung Republic in name; Chairman Kang Ki-young truly perceives Daeyoung as a nation unto itself.

Over 120,000 employees of the Daeyoung Group.

Of those, about 1 percent, or 1,143 executives.

Looking broader, including domestic and international partners of Daeyoung, the group has an infrastructure of over 300,000.

With the figure of 300,000, what can’t be done? Before expanding overseas, it’s crucial to solidify and confirm our domestic business, a stubbornness held by Chairman Kang Ki-young.

Whether it’s right or wrong isn’t what’s important.

What matters is showing that our executive director fits perfectly with his business philosophy, proving that he has the qualities to move his heart and carry out a business that aligns with it.

Among the business proposals brought by Director Choi Jang-ho, none stood out.

They were all just mediocre.

Were they bad plans?

Not necessarily.

But there was nothing that could directly link to the distribution side where Executive Director Kang Moon-jung resides… Well, not entirely.

This could work.

A coffee machine.

“Marco? Isn’t this a brand held by Taekyung Corporation?”

It’s a brand already established in Daeyoung Department Store.

Rasimvali, Lamarzocco, Aristoria, along with being one of the four major Italian coffee machine brands.

Priced higher than Germany’s WMF, it’s more recognized as a luxury coffee machine, a high-end brand, rather than just one of the four major Italian brands.

“Yes, that’s correct. The license agreement was completed last month, and since the subsequent licensee hasn’t been decided, Taekyung is maintaining their inventory through distribution outlets.”

The planner behind this is Manager Jo Seong-won from Bulldog.

I immediately asked Director Choi if he could prepare for a presentation.

“A presentation right now?”

“I’d like to check something more concretely with the planner before the official financial presentation. There’s no need to spend time preparing materials. Just get ready to present verbally using the keywords from this proposal. We need to eat lunch… How about 3 PM?”

After Director Choi left, I immediately called the executive director.

-Yes.

“Are you busy?”

-I wish I were, but there’s nothing to do.

“That’s good to hear. You know Black Bean, right? Have you decided on the coffee machine supplier?”

Under Daeyoung Distribution’s FP (Foodservice Franchise Division), there’s an ongoing project called ‘Black Bean,’ a coffee shop franchise.

The second coffee shop brand in preparation.

The executive director, having received the title of Chief Operating Officer from the corporation and moved to Daeyoung Distribution, first embarked on creating their own coffee shop brand.

Until then, Daeyoung Distribution had been managing foreign famous coffee shop brands like **Coffee, **Bean under license, but from the executive director’s perspective, it didn’t seem like a business that would enhance Daeyoung Distribution’s value in the long run.

So, boldly removing those brands, they launched a coffee shop brand called Goldline, achieving a meaningful success by securing an 8 percent market share in the domestic coffee shop market within just two years.

That 8 percent is expected to hit at least 11 percent within this year, and it’s clear that it will rapidly climb to 15 percent.

In assisting the director with this project (strictly speaking, I did all the work while the director only gave instructions), I’ve studied various aspects and, before I knew it, I’ve become somewhat of an expert in the field.

As a follow-up to the Gold Line, Daeyoung Corporation’s FP is in the final stages of launching Black Bean, a coffee shop brand.

Since Daeyoung Distribution already has a full distribution network, the project is set to open company-owned stores, securing about 80 locations from the start.

-It’s likely going to be either Yura or Cime. But I need to check again how it’s progressing. Good thing you brought it up. I’ll have to check. But why?

“Are you leaving work as usual today?”

-Yes. I don’t have any particular schedule.

“We’ve just developed a plan to acquire the license for Marco coffee machines, thinking it could tie in well with Black Bean.”

-Marco’s price range is too high. I believe the starting price for a three-group machine for commercial use is over 3,000. How do you propose we integrate that into the franchise?

“That’s the thing, it’s possible. If our corporation acquires the brand, we can pass on the standard margin to FP.”

-…Is that feasible?

“I think we can make it possible.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Breaking the silence, the director spoke.

-Okay. I get what you’re saying. I’ll check with FP. The vendor probably hasn’t been decided yet. Even if it has, the consumables are all under provisional contracts, so it’s not a major issue.

The presentation started at 3 PM.

“Please, have a seat.”

“…”

“Relax, there’s no need for formalities here, just sit and present.”

It wasn’t a place to test the presenter’s confidence.

What I wanted to check was the reference for the contract conditions that Taekyung Corporation had obtained from Marco’s headquarters when they handled Marco coffee machines.

And to see how much we could adjust those references in our favor, that was the extent of the planner’s strategy I needed to pre-check.

“Marco is the largest coffee machine manufacturing factory in northern Italy…”

“No, no, no…”

I didn’t want to, but such details were meaningless here.

This information would be sufficient for a formal presentation with the financial risk team.

“I’m well aware that Marco is a top global brand. That the headquarters are arrogant and the margins are terrible, and that Taekyung Corporation ambitiously took on the brand only to withdraw after three years—I understand all of that.”

“…”

“Let’s skip that and move straight to the reference for the contract conditions that Taekyung received.”

For planners and presenters, anticipation is already making their mouths water.

Knowing full well what it means for me, the final decision-maker, to lead the presentation.

Mr. Cho, the manager, buoyed by my active involvement in the plan, quickly projected the contract reference received from Taekyung onto the screen.

“Is the margin only 40 percent?”

Not just coffee machines, but nearly all kitchen-related electronics are offered with margins over 50 percent.

And for products like pots and dishes, it’s not uncommon to see margins as high as 70 percent, depending on the promotion.

This is something I know better than anyone, having served the executive director and handled Daeyoung Distribution’s affairs, especially those of the department store.

A 40 percent margin.

It means we have to buy a product worth 100 won for 60 won.

“Manager Cho.”

“Yes, Director.”

“Can we adjust that margin to 50 percent?”

“It’s not an impossible task. Marco, for instance, has insisted on a 40 percent margin against Taekyung in Korea for the past three years, but in the Chinese market, they’ve been allowing 48 percent. The market sizes are certainly different, but considering the coffee demand, such a margin isn’t unrealistic.”

“Can we also secure a credit note?”

Credit note.

It refers to when a primary distributor, like Daeyoung Merchandise, surpasses a certain order quantity from the manufacturer, the manufacturer sends an extra product for every 10 or 20 ordered, as a service or for sales purposes, or deducts its value from the order amount.

“Marco is famously known for not giving out credit notes.”

That’s why I said,

“Daeyoung Distribution’s coffee specialty brand ‘Gold Line,’ and the upcoming ‘Black Bean.'”

“…?”

“Currently, Gold Line operates 441 stores domestically. We’re preparing to expand to China, Thailand, and Taiwan, and next year, our first international store will open in Thailand. And while Black Bean hasn’t launched yet, we’ve already secured about 80 stores.”

Manager Cho, along with Deputy Director Son and Director Choi, tilted their heads, wondering what this had to do with the credit note we’d demand from Marco.

“If we sign a contract with Daeyoung Merchandise, not only will there be Daeyoung department stores and duty-free shops, but also Gold Line and Black Bean. That’s over 500 image shops for the Marco brand.”

“···!”

“We’ll be placing Marco machines there.”

At my words, not only Manager Cho, who planned the project, but also Deputy Director Son and Director Choi were agape.

“Can we squeeze out a 50 percent margin and a 5 percent credit note? If you’re confident, set up an inspection team.”

***

Days later, at the home stadium of Daeyoung Monsters, the first playoff game against the Giants took place.

35,000 spectators filled the stadium as I entered, clad in the Daeyoung Monsters’ baseball jacket and cap, guided personally by the manager.

“Booo…”

The moment I stood on the mound and nestled the ball in my glove, a wave of disappointment and resentment erupted from the Giants’ fans.

I had anticipated the shade of their emotions.

After all, my current appearance, ready to throw the first pitch in Monsters’ gear, was starkly different from three months ago when I cheered for the Giants in their uniform.

But the downpour of jeers turned into a thunderous roar of cheers the moment I shed the Monsters’ jacket.

“Wowwww!”

It was the moment I shared my heart with the 35,000 spectators, split between supporting the Monsters and the Giants, just like the half-and-half uniform I wore.

On the scoreboard, there I was, my image merged equally between the Monsters and the Giants.

And there, high in the skybox, was one person looking down at me, Kang Moon-jung.

Before the pitch, I took off my cap, bowed deeply to both sides of Monsters and Giants fans several times, and then waved towards the skybox.

Watch closely, I seemed to say, I’ll score the first point just for you…

With that intent, I threw the ball with all my might towards the Monsters’ catcher.

“Wowwww!”

“Striiiiike!”